Legal Skills Instruction Business Resource Materials

Entrepreneurship Law Editorial Team

Books

Rhonda M. Abrams, Hire Your First Employee: The Entrepreneurs Guide to Finding, Choosing, and Leading Great People (2010).

Abstract: Too much work and not enough time? You are at a point in your business when you need help. Maybe an administrative assistant. Maybe a sales person. And, it's a fact: to experience meaningful growth, you will have to hire. It's a big step, but this fact-filled guide will help you take the leap. From how-to's and must-do's to checklists and legal advice, with Hire Your First Employee, you'll have what you need to build a team with confidence.

Alison Branagan, MAKING SENSE OF BUSINESS: A NO-NONSENSE GUIDE TO BUSINESS SKILLS FOR MANAGERS AND ENTREPRENEURS (2009).

Abstract (from product description at Amazon.com): Enterprising individuals and business managers often feel that they need to acquire new skills and brush up on existing ones in order to achieve targets, make money and avoid making elementary mistakes. This book provides guidance on key skills such as selling, presenting, and negotiating, and advice on developing self-confidence and learning to work creatively.

Anita F. Brattina, Diary of a Small Business Owner: A Personal Account of How I Built a Profitable Business (1996).

Abstract (from Amazon Product Description):Anita F. Brattina chronicles the trials, tribulations and triumphs of becoming a successful entrepreneur in the re-release of her book, Diary of a Small Business Owner. Documenting the first eleven years of her business, Brattina gives the reader an insider’s view of her experiences as the founder of a start-up enterprise. She candidly reveals how her company, Direct Response Marketing, Inc., grew from potential clients listed on a writing tablet to a $1 million enterprise. The book highlights her experiences as the first business to receive a PowerLink panel and the impact that the PowerLink year had on her business operations.

Abstract (from Amazon): This book examines how firms develop from start-up, both tracing growth and exploring failure. It studies entrepreneurs - what motivates them, how they manage and lead, and how certain defining characteristics they possess can help shape the businesses they run. The book also outlines good management practice for students and encourages and develops entrepreneurial skills. Clearly structured and accessibly presented, the comprehensive coverage includes accounting control and decision-making, as well as chapters on family businesses, corporate, international and social entrepreneurship. Case insights, long case studies and discussion scenarios are used to practically demonstrate how concepts are implemented in successful small and growing companies. Burns' text is ideal for undergraduates, MBA students, and students taking specialist postgraduate modules on Entrepreneurship, Enterprise, Small Business Management and New Venture Creation within business and management courses.

Abstract (by author):
Entrepreneurship education programs are increasingly being established and
expanded in an effort to equip students with the knowledge and competency
necessary to create economic value and jobs. An underlying assumption of these
programs is that they create positive outcomes for students; however, the
extent and nature of these outcomes have not been well explored in the
literature. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of contemporary
trends in educational evaluation and the challenges specifically associated
with the assessment of entrepreneurship education programs. It proposes
practical considerations for faculty and administrators involved in developing
assessment initiatives for entrepreneurship education programs, including, the
importance of reaching consensus on learning outcomes, the use of a stakeholder‐driven approach for setting assessment
priorities, and the need to allocate resources to assessment initiatives so
they can be sustained long term. It also highlights the value of involving
faculty in the program evaluation process and the need to create incentives and
opportunities for more assessment‐related
research and scholarship within the field.

Abstract: Entrepreneurship education is expanding rapidly around the world with growth evident in terms of the number of courses, endowed chairs, and programs. Business schools have approached their participation in entrepreneurship education with a variety of pace, practice and policy.

Abstract (adapted from author):
The Great Recession has caused many new attorneys to question their decisions
to go to law school. The highly publicized decline in employment opportunities
for lawyers has called into question the value of obtaining a law degree. The
tightening of the economy has diminished the availability of entry-level jobs
for law graduates across employment sectors. Historically, most attorneys in
the United States have created their own jobs by establishing solo and small
law firms. The latest ABA market research indicates that about three-fourths of
all attorneys work in private practice. Of those attorneys, almost half
identify as solo practitioners and approximately 14% work in small law offices
with five or less lawyers. In fact, the number of lawyers in private practice
working in law firms of more than 50 attorneys has never accounted for even
one-fifth of the private bar. Attorney demographics confirm that the majority
of lawyers in private practice are self-employed. Regardless of the large
number of lawyers in solo practice, few law graduates enter the profession
understanding the opportunities and challenges of starting their own law firms.
The reality of self-employment has not been well-received by many new
graduates. Fewer opportunities in the job market have spawned blogs,
editorials, articles and letters from and about angry and greatly disappointed
new lawyers who viewed law school as their ticket to a six-figure salary upon
graduation, but instead found poor job prospects and student debt equivalent to
a home mortgage …The future of the legal profession is uncertain. The most
consistent and largest employment sector for lawyers will continue to be solo
practice. If the largest segment of our law students will eventually work for
themselves, then law schools should provide direction about what it means to be
a self-employed lawyer. Like their predecessors, the self-employed lawyer of
the twenty-first century must learn how to think like a lawyer and find a niche
within the business of law. However, to make a living in an increasingly
complex and competitive legal market, self-employed lawyers must also become
lawyer-entrepreneurs. This Article does not offer a comprehensive understanding
of the study of entrepreneurship. Nor does it engage the discussion of the
tension between professionalism standards and personal gain. Instead, this
piece focuses on what law schools can do to help the thousands of self-employed
lawyers who must embrace entrepreneurial models to survive in a competitive
market.

Robert D. Hisrich et al., Entrepreneurship (8th ed. 2010).

Abstract: This textbook has been designed to clearly instruct students on the process of formulating, planning, and implementing a new venture. Students are exposed to detailed descriptions of 'how to' embark on a new venture in a logical manner. The text uses comprehensive cases at the end of the text to complement chapter concepts.

Colin Jones, Teaching Entrepreneurship to Undergraduates (2011).

Abstract: This book is aimed at educators. It explains not just which facets of entrepreneurship to cover in a class, but also how students learn in the classroom environment.

Abstract:Addresses microenterprise and seeks to offer guidance to lawyers who volunteer to represent microentrepreneurs and microenterprise development organizations that facilitate the development of these small businesses. The aspects covered in this manual include: how lawyers can get involved in microenterprise; guidelines on legal formation issues and business issues for microbusinesses; setting up microenterprise programs; information on organizations that support microenterprise and assistance provided by federal agencies

Abstract
(from publisher):
The
symbiosis that exists between entrepreneurship and law is of paramount
importance in accommodating and advancing the freedom to innovate, as well as
the need to prevent unfair and abusive activities. Seminal articles and essays
reprinted in this collection examine several major subject areas of law
associated with entrepreneurship, including intellectual property, restrictive
covenants designed to protect proprietary information, business organizations,
taxation, securities regulation and tort law. This collection presents issues
implicated in both for-profit growth ventures and creative social enterprises.
It also explores the roles of lawyers and trends in the education of law
students to become professionals in fields ranging from valuable counselors to
entrepreneurs. Along with a new and original introduction by leading scholars,
this essential single volume is an invaluable tool to researchers, academics
and entrepreneurs.

Abstract (from Amazon): Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Regional Development is unique in that it addresses the central factors in economic development – entrepreneurship, innovation and organizational learning – as regional phenomena.

This definitive text focuses on different types of organizations to illustrate the value of entrepreneurship and innovation both for businesses and for regional development. Establishing a firm link between entrepreneurship, innovation and economic regeneration, the book also examines the factors contributing to their success.

Replete with international case studies, empirical evidence of concepts and practical examples, this is an ideal text to support postgraduate teaching and research related to entrepreneurship, innovation management and regional economic development.

Bill Murphy, The Intelligent Entrepreneur: How Three Harvard Business School Graduates Learned the 10 Rules of Successful Entrepreneurship (2010).

Abstract (from the book jacket): In 1998, three Harvard Business School graduates---two men and one woman---turned down six-figure salaries at big corporations, bet on themselves, and launched their own new companies. By the time they returned to Harvard ten years later, their audacity had paid huge dividends. They'd made many millions of dollars, created hundreds of jobs---and left their mark on the world. Based on dozens of interviews with highly successful entrepreneurs, Harvard Business School professors, and HBS alumni, The Intelligent Entrepreneur tells the compelling and instructive story of how these three young founders developed ideas, assembled teams, built ventures, and achieved their dreams. Over the course of a decade, they learned that starting great companies requires much more than a brilliant idea, good timing, and a ferocious work ethic. Their hard-won insights---distilled into ten key rules---will help anyone become a successful entrepreneur.

H. Holden Thorp & Buck Goldstein, The Entrepreneurial University in the Twenty-First Century (2010).

Abstract from author:The purpose of this study is to extend the literature on grounded theory development to incorporate considerations for team-based, interdisciplinary longitudinal research projects in the domain of organizational studies. Every element of the research process is affected if the research questions call for team-based data collection and interpretation over a lengthy period of time. It is unusual for a team of scholars from different disciplines to work together, not because the need doesn't exist, but because the mechanisms for doing so are not well established. We draw from the writings of scholars in the fields of research methodology, team and work-group design, and project management to inform our thinking on the subject. The work presented here is based on the authors' experiences during 1995-1999 as members of the Radical Innovation Research Program (RIRP). The RIRP is an ongoing multidisciplinary study of the development and management of radical innovations in established firms. Here, we do not describe the findings or insights associated with the content of the study, radical innovation, which is surely a complex managerial phenomenon. Rather, we focus on the processes used to conduct the research that were affected by the need for a multidisciplinary research team. A framework is presented for thinking about managing such a project. Challenges that we encountered within this framework are identified. Mechanisms we used (or, in some cases, wish we had used in retrospect) for confronting those challenges are also described. Throughout, we compare our study objectives and resultant methodological design choices with those of other multidisciplinary research teams that are by now well known in the organizational management literature.

Abstract (from author): A determining factor in entrepreneurship is the level of education of the entrepreneur. Universities and institutions of higher learning are called to design courses and support to potential entrepreneurs. European universities taking part in the European Higher ducation Area (EHEA) should exploit the potential business network that students have at their reach inside the EU area. Entrepreneurship education warrants an improvement of financial literacy, for studies have shown that in many developed nations consumers are poorly informed about financial products and practices. Venture Capitalists consider universities as sources of truly exceptional innovations and inventions, which can develop into successful companies within a short period of time. The Private Equity Investment industry has acquired enormous popularity as an alternative investment asset class over the past two decades. Its backers claim that its extensive economic benefits come from a model that aligns the interest of both owners and management. Perhaps it has never been easier than right now for companies and start-ups to locate, contact and engage potential sources of Private Equity Investment and/or Venture Capital Funds. Entrepreneurship and financial Literacy should be taught openly in Business Schools around the world. The entrepreneurship industry is ready to join forces with academics and students in order to confront the unharmonious aspects of the current curriculum of entrepreneurship education.

Abstract (from author): This paper reports on an innovative pilot project embedded in a capstone unit of Australia's leading undergraduate degree program in Entrepreneurship. The project was developed as part of an industry linkage pilot agreement between the Entrepreneurship program and one of the 'Big Four' consultancy companies, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. A pedagogically innovative model of applied learning is proposed that enabled Higher Education students enrolled in a Bachelor of Business (Entrepreneurship) degree to apply in a dynamic (and sometimes chaotic) environment skill and capabilities they already possessed (as opposed to work-based learning about a particular job). Results presented in this paper indicate that educating young entrepreneurs in a Higher Educational setting needs to be like the practice itself; creative, risky, exciting and above all highly satisfying.

John J. Kao & Howard H. Stevenson, Entrepreneurship: What it is and how to Teach it (1985).

Abstract (from WORLDCAT): A Collection of working papers based on a colloquium held at Harvard Business School July 5-8, 1983.

Abstract (from the authors): We explore three "worlds" that entrepreneurship educators generally teach in and introduce a new frontier where we discuss teaching entrepreneurship as a method. The method is a way of thinking and acting, built on a set of assumptions using a portfolio of techniques to create. It goes beyond understanding, knowing, and talking and requires using, applying, and acting. At the core of the method is the ability for students to practice entrepreneurship and we introduce a portfolio of practice-based pedagogies. These include starting businesses as coursework, serious games and simulations, design-based thinking, and reflective practice.

Abstract (from authors): Nowadays few young people are prepared to consider setting up and managing their own business as a realistic and attractive career option. It is therefore necessary to expose children to the concept of entrepreneurship from a very early age, which means that the school has a fundamental role to play in this task. This research seeks to understand precisely what characteristics and motivations entrepreneurship teaching programmes attempt to instil in children. In order to obtain the required information, both a qualitative methodology and a quantitative approach were used, resulting in the analysis of one of them: the ‘Young Enterprise’ programme run by Junior Achievement Portugal – which served as case-study and was the source of the data collected from observation and survey. Through empirical research, it was possible to conclude that the level of knowledge acquired by children increased after their educational experience. This study makes it possible to conclude that it is important for children to have contact with entrepreneurship education programmes, since the aim of these is to instil and develop important personal characteristics that will be crucial for those wishing to become entrepreneurs.

Abstract (from publisher): Using data collected from participants in an entrepreneurship education workshop series, the author examined the series’ impact and tested a model of entrepreneurial intentions incorporating social and psychological factors. He found that entrepreneurial disposition and workshop participation significantly influenced intentions, exposure to role models and the strength of family support did not significantly influence intentions and, in contrast to previous research, there was no significant difference between men and women regarding interest in entrepreneurship. The author also reports on participants’ perceptions of program effectiveness and the status of their ventures.

Abstract (from the authors): In this essay, we outline the provocative argument that in the realm of human affairs there exists an entrepreneurial method- analogous to the scientific method spelled out by Francis Bacon and others with regard to the natural realm. We then suggest a series of open questions that we believe will help future scholars spell out the contents of such a method and ways in which it can be put to work in the design and achievement of socioeconomic ends. At least one normative implication of accepting the argument would be to teach entrepreneurship not only to entrepreneurs but to everyone, as a necessary and useful skill and an important way of reasoning about the world.

Abstract (from authors): There is an increasing realization of the difficulties professionals in innovation-related jobs face in bridging the interface of technology and business. Further, the use of technology for business innovation increasingly involves technologies transferred across businesses or from universities to industry, either through licensing or engagement of entrepreneurial enterprises, requiring coordination of efforts by inventors, business, and legal professionals. Recent studies in technology entrepreneurship recommend integrated approaches to educating students to operate in this space. We discuss the benefits and challenges of integrated approaches to graduate education in technology entrepreneurship in the context of an NSF-sponsored program that teams science and engineering PhD students with law and MBA students. The curriculum focuses on the technical, legal, and business issues involved with moving fundamental research to the marketplace. We draw on program assessment data, which includes pre- and post-surveys and a control group. We find significant and positive effects of the program on student perceptions of the multidisciplinary capabilities needed to operate in a technological business environment.

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